KONTUM HOUSE IN VIETNAM BY KHUON STUDIO

The Kontum House in Vietnam by Khuon Studio offers a low-cost model for a tropical single room dwelling. From its double skin facade to the high ceilings, light wells and pockets of green within the home, its a fine departure from what one may expect from a single room dwelling, but, something we’ve come to expect from contemporary Vietnamese residential design.

Here’s a description from the architects,

The house is located in a Vietnamese Central Highland district, well known for its tropical climate with a dry and wet season. Client needs an accommodation for a comfortable life of a young spousal relationship and assure the domestic microclimate, although the budget is tight.

An one-storey house stretches along 5-meter width and 23-meter depth boundary, in which scattered light wells and plants. These natural figures are distributed to every function area, such as planting bed under light apertures for living room, bedroom with window opens to small courtyard also with plant beds, therefore is the restroom located. From almost every interior view, natural light and green lush are to be seen.

The front elevation suffers from harsh sunlight as it faces the west, so the façade is composed of a rigid veil of patterned concrete blocks in front and glass curtain wall behind. Double skin façade reduces the heat of western sunlight, also decorates the interior with lighting dots as it passes through the patterned concrete blocks. The glass curtain wall behind can be easily opened or closed to adjust the amount of inhale wind.

White is the main ambient color of the house, mean to distinguish other natural colors of local materials, such as grey of concrete floor, handicrafted moulded patterned blocks, natural wood colors of furniture, lush green of plants under light well. All these simple characters mingle together for a content living space of a young family.